


Everything Nice

by Chiharu



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, F/M, Feminist Themes, Genderbending, Girl Power
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-02
Updated: 2015-03-20
Packaged: 2018-03-16 02:05:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3470360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chiharu/pseuds/Chiharu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akashi is a radical Feminist. Kuroko is a liberal feminist who tries to show Akashi that her way of feminism isn't for everyone. In which Kuroko is a closeted BL enthusiast, Kise and Aomine can't take a hint, and Midorima is omitting something Very Important. Warning for Genderbent Miragen.</p><p>OR</p><p>The entire mess started when Akashi nearly took Kagami's eyes out with a handful of tampons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This all started when Sara and I joked about what female! Miragen would be passionate about, if not for basketball. She said something about feminism SO I JUST ROLLED WITH IT. Also because genderbenders give me SO MUCH LIFE. This is not to be taken too seriously, although I tried not to stray far from the spirit of feminism. CCs are welcomed! Beta'ed by Hyperlydian and Jinhwan.

The entire mess started when Akashi nearly took Kagami's eyes out with a handful of tampons. 

In her defense, Akashi had truly believed that Kagami would duck instead of stand in his spot, rooted in fear. The fact that Kuroko's boyfriend was afraid of blood had been their running joke for so long that even Momoi would sometimes pick on him. Akashi privately wondered how Kagami handled a bleeding Kuroko, who was noticeably more sarcastic and quick-tongued. Did Kagami have a heart attack every time he emptied the trash during that time of the month? Kuroko once explained to Akashi that Kagami enjoyed cooking and cleaning and didn’t impose traditional gender roles on their relationship. Still, Akashi wondered. 

Akashi was sure that Nijimura would have found this story funny, but even _he_ wasn't speaking to her either. Disagreements of varying proportions were common in their relationship, but she rarely had a serious fight to pick with him. This was a sure deviation from her other experiences with men, whom Kise joked, "is the lesser sex according to Akashicchi." 

Kise wasn't wrong, but Akashi knew such comments were what had gotten her into this "hot mess," as Aomine would say. 

Akashi Seira had never been good at making compromises. Her history of participating in cold wars stemmed back to her elementary school days, when classmates accused her of having an Ojou-sama complex. Her father had tolerated interactions with the working class as a way of improving Akashi's social skills, and Akashi had gotten better, slowly. Yet here she was again, remorse pulsing dully at the edge of her conscience without a sure way of facilitating the situation. 

"Kagami's eye is fine," Midorima told her over dinner a few days after The Tampon Incident. She took a bite of her gluten-free cheesecake and abruptly put her fork down, looking pained. Midorima was often offended that her mother considered her "desire to live a life free of animal-cruelty" a phase, just like her habit of carrying daily lucky-items dictated by Oha Asa. Akashi didn’t remember what it felt like to argue with her own mother, yet she wished she did. 

"Well?" Midorima asked eventually, when Akashi didn’t reply. 

"I didn't injure him _intentionally_ ," Akashi said, brushing hair out of her eyes. Her bangs were getting too long again, and she had been unsuccessful in locating her favorite headband this morning before going to class. Her bed felt cold without Nijimura there to pull her back into the blankets, and her entire apartment echoed the sentiment. 

"Don't tell _me_ ," Midorima said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, looking serious as always. "You should be telling Kuroko that."

Akashi ran a hand through her bangs and rubbed at her left eye in irritation. Apologizing had always been the plan, but the longer the silence stretched, the less motivated she felt. She wondered if some parts of her craved the chaos and wanted to see how long she could drag everything out. Maybe Nijimura had been right about her. Thankfully, Akashi was interrupted from her own thoughts when an obnoxiously familiar voice called Midorima's name, and they glared in unison when Takao took the empty seat at their table.

"It's so nice to see you, Shiina-chan!" Takao leaned both elbows forward and set his chin in his hands. "And your scary friend, too."

Akashi understood that, like Kagami, Takao felt intimidated by her autonomy. What she did not understand was why Midorima, known for being unforgivingly honest, still had not disposed of Takao, who was easily the most obnoxious suitor Akashi had ever seen. 

"Woah, this tastes good, can I try some?" Takao picked up a piece of Midorima's cheesecake before she could reply, and Akashi tsked softly. 

"Were you born as a barbarian or did you work hard to get this way?" Akashi asked when Takao licked his fingers. 

Takao winked at her. "Your insults are getting weaker, Akashi-chan! They used to be much better burns." His grin only got larger when he caught the frown on Midorima's face.

"You can have the rest of it," Midorima told him, standing up and dusting nonexistent crumbs off her Burberry jacket. Aomine once claimed that Akashi was more of a fashion snob than Kise, but how could Akashi not recognize something when all the girls from her boarding school wore the same brand for years? Midorima slapped a few bills on the table. When Akashi did the same, they walk out together without bidding Takao goodbye. 

"Why is he still harassing you?" Akashi asked while they waited at the crossroad. For a second, she spotted someone blonde in the distance and thought Kise would come bounding over to them. 

"I can handle him," Midorima replied cryptically as they crossed the street, the heel of her flats making clicking sounds that matched Akashi's shoes. Midorima didn’t seem to mind the long span of silence that came with being friends with Akashi, so they walked wordlessly together until Midorima reached her bus stop. 

Akashi gave Midorima a half-hearted wave and headed towards the student activities building after they parted ways. There, she was greeted by the rest of the student council members ready to start the meeting. Mibuchi raised an eyebrow at Akashi's entrance while Hanamiya half smiled, half leered. Hayama seemed unnecessarily excited for a budget meeting and Nebuya was busy eating in the back of the room.

In truth, she had considered giving up these types of leadership positions, which consisted of too much paperwork and always reminded her of afternoons spent in empty classrooms. Yet, the student council here was egregiously low in female representation, and Akashi knew that if someone with her experience hadn't run for Vice President, the position would have surely gone to Hanamiya. And, well, Akashi had a habit of being selectively competitive. Momoi called Akashi a natural leader, but Aomine liked to remind Akashi that she was just bossy. 

While listening to Hanamiya give a presentation on the upcoming fundraiser, Akashi went through her bag for a pen and found one of the snack bars that Nijimura liked. She turned the bar around in her hands and, when President Kiyoshi grinned strangely at her from across the table, dropped it back into her bag. 

She thought about President Kiyoshi's tendency of zoning out during presentations and reminded herself to make a copy of her notes for him. Then she thought about the notebook Nijimura had left on her kitchen table and wondered whether he'd drop by to pick it up. Probably not, she decided. They were both too stubborn sometimes. 

Akashi sighed. She was _really_ bad at apologizing.

 

 

 

 

According to Aomine, BFF stood for "B-cup Friends Forever," although Akashi felt it was statistically misleading when the description only applied to Akashi, Kuroko, and maybe Aomine when she wore a sports bra. Which, anyone could tell, was all the time. 

What started as a feminism organization founded by Akashi soon devolved when Kuroko Tetsuna showed up at the interest meeting with her athletic friend Aomine Daiko in toll. Along with them came Momoi, who was so irritatingly pretty that Akashi almost mistook him for a girl until Aomine punched Momoi in the chest over something trivial. Midorima, who _definitely_ wasn't a B-cup, had brought a stuffed alpaca toy that entertained a very attractive blonde girl until Akashi realized that the blonde in question was Kise Ryoko, nationally recognized VIVI model and popular fodder for the university rumor mill.  
During the introduction icebreaker, Akashi learned that:

1) Kise always wanted to be more socially active in University, but her non-magazine sanctioned interests intimidated her target audience. Kise thought that this was the last club any of her admirers would be caught dead joining. Akashi privately thought that Kise was smarter than she appeared. 

2) Midorima and Kuroko were incapable of agreeing on anything, from the influence of women writers in contemporary Japanese literature to the nutritional value of Maji Burger's milkshake menu. Kuroko said it was refreshing to discuss topics with someone knowledgeable and passionate. Midorima said it was because Kuroko was an Aquarius. 

3) Aomine had no qualms falling asleep on Momoi's shoulder or stealing his food. Momoi, in return, liked to slap Aomine on the back of her head and nag Aomine about flashing people while sitting. Yet, they both became violently offended when Kise mistook them for a couple. Kuroko seemed unperturbed by this and ended up sitting in the middle when Momoi and Aomine pulled apart like they'd been burnt. 

Overall, Akashi considered the turnout acceptable given the quality of their discussions and the amount of time she spent putting up flyers for the meeting-- roughly ten minutes outside of the Chemistry building before she took a stapler to all the bulletin boards. In truth, Akashi had gotten sloppier, less disciplined since high school. She knew her father would have blamed it on her decision to attend a public university, but years of ojou-sama complex bred in private institutions were exactly what Akashi was trying to shed. 

Muraskibara Atsuka showed up during the third meeting, rifling through the table for food, and they somehow convinced her to stay. Akashi learned that attending events on campus for free snacks was a hobby of Murasakibara's, who terrified the men in their Japanese Poetry class yet secretly enjoyed domestic activities like baking and making confections. 

It was always a strange experience to share classes with her club members. Last semester, an unimpressive freshman had raised his hand in their Gender Studies class on the first day and recited an uncreative spew about learning _Her_ story. Aomine, seated in the back with Momoi, had thrown her pencil pouch at the offending party's head. 

Aomine never sat with Akashi, but more than once, she sided with Akashi during class discussions. That is, when Aomine wasn't sleeping or skipping class. 

Sometimes Akashi walked with Momoi after class to meet Kuroko at the smoothie shop, Kuroko sipping her milkshake absently while expertly deflecting Momoi's flirting. Then Kise would appear, looking over-dressed without ordering anything. Kise always seemed disappointed when Aomine bailed. Yet, whenever Aomine joined them, Kise would spend the entire time wailing about Aominecchi being mean to her. Midorima, who was even less inclined to be seen on campus with all of them, sometimes came only to pick up leftover arguments with Kuroko from their Japanese Literature class. More than once, Akashi had to pause the shogi game on her phone to break up the non-fight. Somehow, Akashi couldn't bring herself to mind. Her father, who never took breaks at work yet somehow made time for shogi, always took forever on his turn. 

Murasakibara once inquired about Akashi's interests outside of organizing meetings to discuss topics of gender and society. When Akashi mentioned calligraphy and playing the violin, Aomine yawned and called them "rich girls' hobbies." Murasakibara, busy munching on a bag of Kit Kat, didn't even respond.

They weren't exactly best friends, and they certainly weren't all B-cups. Yet, between biweekly club meeting and impromptu get-togethers after class, the name BFF had stuck. Akashi was willing to admit that she, too, had grown fond of them.

 

 

 

 

After reevaluating the series of events, Akashi decided that everything didn't start with The Tampon Incident. Akashi spent the past year juggling her student council duties, organizing club meetings, replying to ignorant people who dared comment on her social justice tumblr, and dreading monthly visits to the estate. Whenever Akashi returned from a weekend of stifling dinners and quiet nights in her childhood bedroom, Nijimura would greet her at the door and kiss her silly. 

"How was the castle?" He'd ask. Akashi hated it when Nijimura called her a princess, but she could never stay angry when he made mandatory trips home better with consolatory sex. Once, he ate her out on the kitchen table in her Chloé dress, and Akashi had found it so indecent that she gripped his hair instead of stroking it like usual. "Feeling better?" He asked after they migrated to the bed, his fingers tracing circles on her hipbones while she smiled into his shoulder.

"Yes, Shuuzo-senpai." She laughed when he pinched her side, because Nijimura could never admit his senpai kink to anyone. 

They had met during her first year, after being assigned to the same accounting project group. Akashi was intrigued from the start, but kept her attraction separate from the tasks at hand. Nijimura, with his silent intensity and tendency to chop people on the head over tasteless jokes, was so magnetic that sometimes Akashi found herself staring. 

Group meetings in the library soon migrated to Nijimura's apartment, where her group mates spent more time gossiping than working. Akashi did her part with minimal participation in the conversation, and nodded when Nijimura complimented her progress after meetings. Over time, the topic of their break-time chatter digressed from Miyano-sensei's hot wife to the annual commerce school ball. 

"I'm surprised Akashi-chan hasn't asked you to go with her," one of the upperclassmen said one day when Akashi excused herself to use the restroom, making her freeze outside of the door. "She's been looking at you a lot."

"I hadn't noticed," Nijimura replied, voice even.

"Yes, well," one of the older girls added, "Akashi-chan is so quiet. What if she doesn't get a date?"

Akashi heard the sound of Nijimura sighing. "You don't know if she even wants to go, but she wouldn't need a date either way. Akashi is an independent woman who doesn't need a man to fulfill society's expectations. Now get back to work. This presentation isn't going to make itself." 

General fumbling had followed inside, yet Akashi remembered lingering in her spot, speechless. Her heart hadn't pounded so fast since she sneaked out of her tutoring session in middle school to go to the matsuri with her then-crush. Hiroki-kun had kissed her next to the lake as Akashi wore one of her mother's old yukatas. Back then, she had been content with the idea of becoming a homemaker. Then Akashi's father sent her to school in Kyoto, and Hiroki-kun's family arranged his engagement with the heiress of the Yanai Conglomerate. By then, Akashi had already begun rebelling and fending off the boys at Rakuzan.

Akashi never went to the commerce ball, but she did invite Nijimura out on a date. They rented bicycles to ride along the river and attended the local opening of Akashi's favorite book store. When Nijimura asked, after dinner, for permission to kiss Akashi, she pulled him down by his collar as her answer. 

Truthfully, she hadn't expected their relationship to last. Her previous boyfriend, she had met at a gallery opening of her father's colleague. They went horseback riding together on the weekends and for her birthday, he took her to his family's lake house. The girls at Rakuzan thought he was well-mannered, kind, and most importantly, rich. Yet, by the time he left for Cambridge, she had grown bored with his upper crust courting rituals and trashed her own application for the following year.

Nijimura was the exact opposite. He hated spending extra money and liked to flick Akashi on the forehead when she took too long in the bathroom. He never kissed her in public, yet loved squeezing onto his old couch with her until they both fell asleep to Meitantei Conan reruns. And, well, he was _really_ good at going down on her. 

Midorima had flushed impossibly red when Akashi admitted this much. The BFF meeting that night had ended in an ikazaya, thanks to Aomine's enthusiasm for alcohol and Kise's inability to take 'No' for an answer. Kise had nodded enthusiastically while Aomine yawned and said, "What does he expect? A medal? He likes to eat girls out? Big deal. So do I." Then Kise had turned even redder than Midorima.

At that point, Kuroko had started dating Kagami, although she refused to share details of her sex life. Momoi's flirting turned into weekly offers of threesomes, which no one took seriously due to the way he'd immediately blush in embarrassment afterwards. Midorima, though, continued to sputter ungracefully if anyone dared to suggest that she ventured into the world of dating. 

"Stop pressing Midochin,” Murasakibara had reprimanded them absently while picking through her second plate of yakitori. In a rare moment of camaraderie, Midorima had looked at Murasakibara approvingly. That shut everyone up for the time being, until Aomine began teasing Midorima about her grandma dress. 

If Akashi really thought about it, that was the night Kise stopped talking about the boys she met at work and _really_ looked at Aomine. Kise tried to hide her fascination with Aomine's sexual preferences by throwing herself at Kuroko, but even Muraskibara had noticed the weird dance between them 

"Why doesn't Kisechin and Minechin just kiss already?" Murasakibara asked once, flipping through a molecular gastronomy book while Akashi studied. The sky had gotten so dark outside that Murasakibara was obviously stalling so they could leave the library together, although Musakibara claimed that she simply didn't want to move due to laziness. "It's so tiring, watching them."

"Then don't watch, Atsuka," Akashi hummed, highlighting a section in her Product Development notes. 

"They're hard to look away from," Murasakibara said easily, breaking off another piece of the imported chocolate Akashi gifted Murasakibara for her birthday. 

That was an understatement, Akashi thought. Kise had a kind of magnetism that turned heads on the street, women and men alike. She was heartbreakingly beautiful, with a tendency of speaking and looking at people like they were the only ones who mattered. Prior to meeting Kise, Akashi hadn't known there were so many ways to arrange one's hair. Akashi had yet to see Kise repeat an outfit, however strange they were. 

Aomine, in comparison, was as no-fuss as one could be. She laughed, once, when Murasakibara called Aomine's winter jacket a giant puffy blueberry. "Well," Aomine had said, pulling on one of the curls cascading from Kise's perfect pigtails. "We can't all dress like models, can we?"

Yet everything about Aomine, from her bone structure to the way she spoke, was striking. Her laughter had a way of pulling people in and making them focus on only her. Whenever Aomine caught Kise staring, she'd either grin suggestively in return or feign ignorance. Akashi had thought that they were doomed to watch the reenactment of a terribly cliché shoujo manga indefinitely, and was slightly alarmed by those who failed to see this.

"Sooo," Kagami said with a mouthful of burgers, after Akashi and Nijimura ran into Kagami and Kuroko at the local diner. Akashi had been strongly against the idea of crashing such an uninspiring date, but Nijimura had recognized Kagami from playing pick-up basketball games on campus. Then Nijimura decided that he also wanted a burger, and Akashi had smiled quietly when he bribed her with onion rings. Kuroko, for the most part, seemed satisfied with their company.

"Are Kise and Aomine into each other or what?" Kagami asked, unraveling another burger from the stack in front of him. Nijimura looked slightly alarmed, but Kuroko didn't even bat an eyelash. When no one deigned his reply with a response, Kagami added, "They're, like, both chicks."

"Yes," Akashi said, brushing bangs out of her eye in annoyance while Kuroko smiled faintly around her straw. "Ryoko and Daiko are, indeed, both women. It is unfortunate that their romantic choices do not fit into your heteronormative interests." 

"What?" Kagami asked, taking a second to stop chewing as Nijimura nudged Akashi's leg under the table. He turned to Kuroko. "Does that mean I'm too straight?"

While Akashi tried to fathom the difference between a kick of annoyance and her boyfriend's idea of playing footsie, Kuroko spoke up. "I believe Akashi-san is implying that you're attracted to either Kise-san or Aomine-san, although I cannot identify who she finds you more compatible with."

"What?!" Kagami gaped, setting his large hands on the table as he looks wildly between Kuroko's small grin and Akashi's blank expression. "No! I'm not interested in either Aomine or Kise! I'm dating you, Kur- Oi, stop laughing at me!"

"I'm not laughing, but Nijimura-san looks like he wants to," Kuroko replied evenly, her eyes meeting Akashi's. Even Akashi had to smile at that, although she did set a hand on Nijimura's knee, under the table, to sooth his struggle.

The rest of the meal had been admittedly pleasant until Kuroko's friend, Ogiwara, showed up. Ogiwara, through his own invitation, scooted into their four-person booth before recognizing Nijimura from an old basketball magazine. Akashi was more than aware of Nijimura's prowess at basketball, but her annoyance quickly grew when Ogiwara turned to her with wide eyes. "Wow, you're so lucky to be dating Nijimura-san!"

Kuroko paused at this and smiled faintly. "Yes, I'm sure Akashi-san is just as lucky to be dating Nijimura-san as I am to be dating Kagami-kun."

"Oi! Are you making fun of me again?" Kagami demanded with no heat, poking Kuroko across the table as she expertly dodged his prying finger. Nijimura, never one for public displays of affection, looked crossed between laughing and smacking Kagami on the head.

Ogiwara glanced between Kuroko and Akashi. "The two of you know each other too? Is this a double date?"

"Akashi-san is the organizer of the feminism organization I am a part of," Kuroko replied easily, finally slapping Kagami's finger away. 

"Feminism?" Ogiwara asked as Akashi's headache grew. "That's where girls burn their bras, right? Wow Kuroko, I didn't know you were so radical!"

Nijimura, more in tune with the changes in Akashi's moods, looked wary at the progression of this conversation. Meanwhile, Kagami seemed to be in deep deliberation over whether Kagami had ever seen Kuroko in a bra. Akashi did not wait for Kagami to arrive at a conclusion before she spoke up. "Those who find feminism radical should reexamine their own perspective."

Ogiwara blinked blissfully and pointed to himself. "You think _I'm_ radical?" He rubbed the back of his head. "You should check out the dictionary definition for that word, because I'm the exact opposite of it!"

"Ogiwara-kun," Kuroko spoke up slowly, her expression incomprehensible. "Perhaps you should do some research on your own time. If you'd like, I would be more than happy to answer your questions."

"Ah," Ogiwara paused. "But, since Akashi-san is here, I can just ask her instead, right?"

"I don't see why I have to entertain questions from someone with such a high level of ignorance," Akashi replied smoothly, narrowing her eyes as she gripped the nearest object on the table. She was vaguely aware that people from the next table were looking at them. "Your mansplaining ways are both incorrect and offensive."

"Um," Ogiwara said, eyes large. "You're really easily offended, for a girl."

"Okay!" Nijimura cut in before Akashi could stand up and show him exactly what she can do, _for a girl_. He slapped a few bills on the table and spun Akashi away from her trajectory towards Ogiwara. "I just remembered that Doraemon reruns are about to start! Sei loves Nobita, you know. We'd hate to miss it! See you, Kagami and Kuroko!" He managed to lead her out of the diner and onto the adjacent road before Akashi shook his hand off her arm.

"What are you doing?" She hissed in a tone that once made a nanny cry. "You had no right to interrupt our conversation!"

Nijimura sighed and reached for her hands, tsking when she withdrew them out of his reach. "Sei, you were holding a _butter knife_! What did you plan on doing? Cutting his bread with it?"

Akashi blinked and felt her cheeks heat. She recalled a similar incident once, when a rival conglomerate's heiress taunted Akashi for being motherless at a tea party. "That was an accident!" Akashi snapped, but her voice already lost its initial edge. 

"I know," Nijimura said, rubbing soothing circles on her back. When Akashi gave in quietly, he wrapped an arm around her waist. "I shouldn't have made us stay for dinner with Kuroko and Kagami. You always get snappy when you're tired."

"I'm not tired," Akashi mumbled into Nijimura's shirt. He smelt faintly of onions. "And I've never even _seen_ Doraemon." 

Nijimura pet her hair and brushed bangs out of her face. He knew how much she disliked having hair in her eyes. "You've never seen Doraemon, but you remember the plot from over 700 episodes of Conan?"

Akashi huffed as Nijimura led her away by the hand, Nijimura taking her bag as he looped it over his free arm. " _Conan_ is a stimulating show that hones a child's problem-solving skills through critical thinking and analysis. _Doraemon_ , from what I have gathered, is about an immature child seeking the help of a robot to solve his inane problems in life."

"You're so harsh on Nobita," Nijimura laughed as they neared Akashi's apartment complex. "Not every fifth-grader had their shit together, like you."

Akashi fell silent as they waited for the elevator. She thought about quiet households and skipping her violin lessons to make visiting hours at the hospital. Her mother's hair, once vibrant and silky, had grown sparse during rounds of chemotherapy until Akashi could no longer braid it. Her father had done his best to pretend nothing was wrong, working late hours as the family chauffeur acted as a stand-in father on the ride to and from school, when Akashi cried in the backseat. "Fifth grade wasn't a good time for me either," she said quietly.

Nijimura took a moment to look at her before frowning. "Shit, I'm sorry." He paused when the elevator door opened, and residents stepped around them politely. When Akashi made no move to step forward, Nijimura waited next to her as the elevator closed and left their floor. "I'm really sorry about your mom."

"It's fine," Akashi said eventually. She knew, fundamentally, that she had little control over the happenings of the world. Her father had sat her down after the funeral and told her this much. All she could control were her own responses to situations. "I'm sorry our evening was so rudely interrupted."

Nijimura was quiet for a moment. "Don't you think you were too harsh on that kid?" When Akashi stared up at him in disbelief, he added. "Yeah, he said some dumb shit, but you could have answered his questions without the dramatics."

"I-" Akashi frowned. "What are you implying?"

Nijimura shrugged. "Maybe if you had answered nicely, he would've dropped it."

"Are you _tone-policing_ me?" Akashi asked, her fingers slipping out of his. She paused when he didn't immediately reach for her hand. 

Nijimura sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Things don't have to be so bad all the time, Sei. I know you're really big on this feminism thing, and I support you. But, you know, not all guys are out to belittle you."

Akashi gaped at him. "Are we really having the _not all men_ conversation right now?" She glared when Nijimura looked at her, and the silence between them went from comfortable to freezing. 

"Go home and take a break, Sei," Nijimura said eventually, pressing the button for the elevator. "I think you need some time to cool off. I know I do."

"What are you saying?" Akashi asked quietly when Nijimura returned her bag. Yet she knew, fundamentally, where this conversation was going. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Nijimura sounded exasperated. "I'm saying that we should take a break to cool off, but if you want to break up...." He paused, as if he didn't want to continue that train of thought. "I don't know why you always have an escape route on standby. I'm not the enemy, you know. I'm on _your side_."

"I know," Akashi said, gripping her bag as the elevator door opened again behind her. 

"I don't think you do," Nijimura replied quietly, nudging her gently into the elevator. When she didn't respond, he gave her a strange smile. "Call me when you figure things out." Then the elevator door closed.

Akashi thought about Nijimura's comment and bit her lips. Aggressiveness was bred into her, and Nijimura knew that. She thought that Nijimura knew _her_ , more than anyone else. Disappointment had never been a problem with her last boyfriend, mostly because she never expected him to understand her the way Nijimura had. Akashi stared into her empty apartment and decided to put thoughts of Nijimura to rest for now. 

 

 

 

 

The next BFF meeting took place after Akashi spent two days archiving budget expenses submitted by various clubs after Haizaki, the original person in charge of the task, conveniently disappeared before the deadline. Hanamiya, when questioned about Haizaki's lack of attendance, feigned ignorance and shock at Akashi's decision to complete the work now under Hanamiya's jurisdiction. "Thanks, Akashi-chan," he replied, drawling her name and looking too pleased with himself. "I will definitely talk to Kiyoshi about this." Akashi doubted that Hanamiya would willingly speak to President Kiyoshi about anything, so she made a note of approaching him herself about the problems with Hanamiya's committee. 

Then she'd stepped into the reserved classroom for the BFF meeting to find Aomine and Kise arguing over something while Murasakibara munched on a four-layer bento. Akashi rubbed at her left eye in irritation and felt her headache grow. 

"Akashi-san," Kuroko said, appearing out of thin air as she took a seat next to Akashi. As always, Kuroko jumped straight to the chase. "I apologize for Ogiwara-kun's behavior the other day. I understand that he said some things to offend you, but please understand that Ogiwara-kun is a very kind person and not maliciously offensive."

Akashi hummed without looking at Kuroko. "I see." It was neither an acceptance nor acknowledgement of her apology. "He was rather unpleasant for someone you hold with such high esteem." 

The pause between them was punctuated by Momoi's laughter and the sound of Aomine teasing Kise. Kuroko stared at Akashi for a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry he did not present himself properly in front of Akashi-san. It's true that Ogiwara-kun's understanding of feminism was ill-informed and poorly developed-"

"He could not be bothered to research the topic before offering his privileged opinions," Akashi corrected her.

"Perhaps," Kuroko began slowly, meeting Akashi's eye. "But shouldn't we work to educate others in an environment that welcomes open discussion instead of spurning those who disagree with our opinions?"

"Kuroko," Akashi replied, her voice growing icy as she gripped her pen. "What are you trying to say, exactly?" She was aware of the silence around them growing more prominent. Kuroko continued their staring match without a word, but Akashi had an inkling of what she really meant. 

"Um," Kise whispered loudly to Aomine, who seemed to be picking her ear in boredom. "Are Kurokocchi and Akashicchi _fighting_?"

"No." Akashi swept hair away from her face and turned to them. "We are simply having a disagreement. Let's start the meeting. I trust that everyone read the articles I forwarded to the mailing list."

They spent the rest of the meeting discussing the role of women in producing homoerotic literature, Kise nodding along to everything with wide eyes. Kuroko proposed that the slashing of two male entities removed the female writer from the equation, thus fulfilling the need for hyper-sexualization without direct guilt. Midorima, who insisted on not having read any of the source literature outside of the op-eds that Akashi sent them, had a lot to say on the topic. Murasakibara seemed absolutely bored by the conversation while Aomine interjected sporadically with seemingly unnecessary comments. It baffled Akashi that no one else noticed the practiced way in which Kuroko deflected Kise's question of, "but Kurokocchi, how do you know _so much_?"

Akashi stopped taking notes by the time Murasakibara engaged Midorima in an adamant conversation about whether cooking mangas starring female protagonists were anti-feminist, and zoned out when Aomine started hollering something about Yakitate Japan and boobs. Akashi blinked when Momoi scooted over towards her, his notebook comparatively fuller than hers. 

"Could it be that Akashi-san doesn't read a lot of manga?" Momoi asked, a small smile gracing his face. He brushed a strand of pink hair behind his ear and nodded towards Kuroko. "I believe Tetsu-chan has a lot that you can borrow, although her collection is particularly filled with-" He paused when Tetsu turned to them, her eyes boring a hole into the wall behind them. Momoi chuckled. "Well, I'm sure she would share if Akashi-san asked."

By that point, Midorima had taken command of the chalkboard and was attempting to prove everyone wrong with a detailed flow-chart of the plot of Kitchen Princess.

"Oi, sit down already!" Aomine demanded when Murasakibara began pulling up scans of the manga on her phone and reading off the list of confectioneries featured in each chapter. Aomine threw Momoi's sweater at Midorima, shrugging when Midorima glared at her. "What? You're bleeding."

Midorima flushed when she found a spot of blood on the back of her white pants. She gingerly thanked Aomine and tied Momoi's sweater around her waist, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. 

"Urg," Aomine said, leaning back in her seat. "Just use a tampon next time. It's less messy." 

Her suggestion was met by silence and the rising color on Midorima's cheeks.

"Ne," Murasakibara said, looking up from the manga on her phone. "Does Midochin not know how to use a tampon?"

"I-!" Midorima began but gracefully closed her mouth. "I just find them troublesome and uncomfortable, that's all." She glared when Kise patted her sympathetically on the back. Midorima turned to Akashi for confirmation, something she only did in times of crises or utter embarrassment, but Akashi just blinked. 

"Here," Aomine said, throwing what appeared to be a ziplock bag at Midorima. She tsked when Midorima ducked and the bag handed on Akashi's desk instead. "I have some with me. We can teach you now. What? Better late than never, right?"

When Midorima's refusal turned into incoherent splutters, Kuroko unhelpfully added, "We shouldn't force Midorima-san into doing things. It is perfectly okay to be uncomfortable with the idea of tampons. Some women feel that it is very invasive to insert a foreign object up-"

"That's not it!" Midorima snapped, turning to Akashi. "Okay, show me."

Akashi blinked once, then twice, before zipping open Aomine's bag. She didn't feel particularly certified in this topic, yet she understood Midorima's frustration. Akashi had begged a maid to teach her how to use tampons in middle school, when horseback-riding pants left little to the imagination. After meeting Kise's curious eyes and Midorima's tortured gaze, Akashi took one out and held it up. As if on cue, everyone got out of their seats to surround her desk.

"Are you sure Momoi-san should be watching this?" Kuroko asked when Momoi set his notebook on Kuroko's back, using it as a solid surface for his note-taking.

Momoi beamed at a weary Akashi. "Knowledge is power, right?"

Akashi did not deign his comment with a response. Instead, she unwrapped the cover and removed the tampon, holding it up in what she assumed was an infomercial stance. "Before using this, I'd like to clarify a few things. First, be assured that a tampon will never get stuck or lost inside of you. You can always pull it out with the string, or reach in and grab it out with your fingers if the string breaks." She paused, taking in Murasakibara's bored expression and Kuroko's unreadable gaze. Akashi supposed that this could be worse. "Secondly, you can still use the bathroom with the tampon in. Thirdly, tampons usage is not related to the loss of virginit -"

"Akashi!" Midorima snapped, her face now impossibly red as Kise giggled. "Just show us how to use it!"

Akashi hummed and held the offending object up higher. "There are other intuitive factors to take in consideration, like the absorbency and size, but we'll just demonstrate with the one Daiko has. Inserting it can be a hassle when not done properly, but do not be discouraged as you can always try again."

"Moi," Murasakibara muttered, making a face. "Akachin should stop stalling."

"I trust that everyone knows how to find the opening to their vaginal cavity," Akashi continued in response. She held the midpoint of the tampon, where the smaller tube of the applicator met the large tube, with her thumb and placed her index finger on the end of the applicator. "Insert the top, thicker half of the applicator into the vagina and stop when the thin portion of the applicator meets the thick portion." She pressed the thinner half of the applicator upwards with her index finger and gently removed the plastic. "At this point, you can pull the applicator out, leaving the string outside for removal purposes." 

"Make sure the entire thing is inside of you," Aomine added, looking bored as she leaned over Kise's back. "You shouldn't be able to feel it inside of you. If it's painful, then it means you didn't insert it far enough."

No one spoke for a moment until Kise added, "Ne, but that's not the hard part!"

Akashi paused and stood up from her chair, watching everyone scoot around until she took a seat on the edge of the desk. "You can insert it while sitting on the toilet seat." She opened her legs, silently grateful that she chose to wear tights under her skirt today. "Relax and aim the tampon towards the small of your back at an angle. If you find that difficult, you can always put one leg up on the-"

And that was when the door to the classroom opened and Kagami stepped in, going "Oi, Kuroko, are you done yet?" He paused at the silence that greeted him and glanced between Akashi's open legs and the tampon in her hands. "Um... What's going on?"

Surprisingly, Kise was the first one to shriek. "Ahhhhhhhhh KAGAMICCHI SHOULD LEARN TO KNOCK PROPERLY!" Her wail caused Aomine to burst out laughing and Midorima to hide behind Muraskibara. Akashi felt her own face heat up as Kagami's eyes grew wider. 

"What?!" Kagami shouted, waving nonsensically. "I didn't know I'd be interrupting something like this!"

"What in the world were you expecting?" Aomine hollered, doubling over in her chair as she held her stomach. "Kagami, your _face_ looks so-"

"SHUT UP!" Kagami yelled, pointed at her. "I didn't know you girls would be doing something so embarrassing! Did you think I _wanted_ to see Akashi like tha-"

Akashi responded by chucking the spare tampons on the desk at Kagami's face. She didn't consider herself exceptionally good at throwing, yet Kagami yelped in response and was clutching his face seconds later.

"Kagami-kun!" Kuroko rushed to his side, stepping around Aomine, who was now howling on the floor. Aomine didn't stop laughing until Midorima joined Kuroko in examining Kagami's injury, Midorima berating Kagami for rubbing his eyess. 

"I recommend you go to the clinic to get it checked out," Midorima declared when Kise began waving her fingers in front of Kagami's face. Kise pouted when Kagami slapped her hand away, and stepped aside when Kuroko pulled Kagami up. The entire event happened too fast, and Kagami was gone before Akashi could formulate a reply. 

It wasn't until later that Akashi learned about Kagami's scratched cornea. Whether the injury was truly caused by Akashi's deadly aim or Kagami's persistent rubbing was up to debate, but within days everyone had accepted the pseudo-truth of Akashi injuring Kagami's eye with tampons. She hadn't bothered to correct the strange rumor floating around campus about a student council member injuring someone in the basketball club. Akashi privately wondered if Nijimura had heard about it too, but she couldn't work up the motivation to contact him.

Akashi supposed that making-nice with Kuroko would be slightly less difficult than having the Inevitable Talk with Nijimura, so she put all of her efforts into confronting Kuroko at the next club meeting. 

Kise, however, had other plans for them.

"Oh my," Momoi had been the first one to speak up when Kise showed up with copies of her latest lingerie shoot. He'd politely flipped through his copy until Aomine came over to read over his shoulder.

"Kisechin is a model indeed," Murasakibara said, sounding unenthusiastic as Kuroko took the liberty of changing the spread to another photo of Kise donning this season's Peach John collection.

Akashi, for lack of anything else to say, had nodded and told Kise that she was good at her job. Kise took it as a compliment as she showed Kuroko various pieces that she believed "Kagamicchi would like~" Akashi had expected Midorima to be the one lecturing Kise on maintaining a modest image, but surprisingly enough, Aomine had been the one to throw her copy of the spread at Kise's head.

"Hey!" Kise wailed when she recovered, pouting while fixing her bangs. "That's mean, Aominecchi!" 

"How dumb can you get?" Aomine hissed while Momoi made desperate motions gesturing for Aomine to shut up. 

Kise, for all of her casual dismissal of jibes, had a surprisingly low tolerance for attacks on her intelligence. She bit the inside of her cheeks and, when nobody else spoke up, pointed a perfectly manicured finger at Aomine. "I'm not dumb."

"Yeah. Maybe you're smarter than I thought." Aomine said. "If you really hated having sleazy men hit on you, then you wouldn't do photoshoots like this."

By then, Murasakibara had stopped eating and even Midorima looked conflicted. Akashi opened her mouth, but was cut off when Kise made a frustrated noise.

"This is my _job_!" Kise said, her voice uncharacteristically low. She looked more disheveled now, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Kise-s" Kuroko was interrupted when Aomine took a step forward.

"Your job is to let men objectify you?" Aomine asked, shrugging off the hand Momoi put on her arm. "Then why are you in this club? And those dieting tips in your previous column? You're just perpetrating the culture of letting people police women's bodies."

Akashi didn't know that Aomine even read Kise's regular column in VIVI, but that was neither here nor there. "Let's all calm down for a second," she started to say, but paused when Kise put her hand up to stop Akashi.

"Are you saying I don't contribute to this club?" Kise demanded, sounding extremely nonthreatening as tears spilled down her cheek. "I know I'm not as smart as Midorimacchi or Akashicchi, but why do you always have to make me feel so _stupid_? Sometimes you're even worse than the guys who hit on me. At least _they_ don't make me feel useless!" She then proceeded to carry out a dramatic exit Akashi hadn't seen since her debutante days, snatching her bag up from the nearby chair before storming out of the room.

"That escalated quickly." Midorima adjusted her glasses and gave everyone pointed looks, as if they all took equal parts in this. "Shouldn't someone go after her?"

Momoi turned to Aomine, looking frustrated. "Dai-chan! You should go apologize to Ki-chan!" 

"Aomine-san, weren't you _also_ policing Kise-san's body by telling her what not to do?" Kuroko added. "Kise-san can't help it if men harass her on the street. You shouldn't blame her for attracting their attention. _They’re_ the ones who shouldn't be bothering _her_."

Aomine glared at them and kicked at a desk. "Whatever," she shrugged unconvincingly before strolling out. "You're all giving me a headache. I'm leaving." Momoi quickly followed. 

"I'll talk to Kise-san when she calms down," Kuroko offered, for which Akashi was thankful. Kuroko slowly pushed up the desk Aomine had knocked down and regarded everyone left in the room. "It seems like this meeting ended prematurely. I'll take my leave now, if you don't mind."

Predictably, neither Kise nor Aomine RSVP'ed to the next meeting. Midorima had an exam to study for and Momoi was, in his own words, "still working on Dai-chan." Kuroko hadn't really spoken to Akashi since The Tampon Incident, and Akashi had a feeling that her window for apologizing was closing. She didn't feel like preparing discussion material for just herself and Murasakibara, and eventually decided to call the meeting off.

And that’s where she is now, after two week of enduring radio silence from everyone. Akashi knows that she’s partially at fault for causing the situation, yet she lacks the resolve to do anything about it. Instead, she puts all of her nervous energy into school work.

Akashi is slightly irritated as she heads to the student activities building after class, only to find her ID card malfunctioning. Thankfully, President Kiyoshi shows up in no time. He seems surprised to see her, but swipes the door open with his card nonetheless. "Didn't you get the memo?" He asks her.

Akashi shakes her head. "What memo?"

Kiyoshi gives her a deep and unreadable look. "Actually, Akashi, there's something I want to ask you abo-" He's interrupted when Hanamiya appears, leaning into Kiyoshi and turning to Akashi with an almost predatory grin.

"Akashi-chan! What a surprise to see you here!"

"Why is it surprising?" Akashi asks evenly. "This is our weekly meeting time, is it not?"

"Well," Hanamiya hums in his irritating voice, pulling a piece of paper out of his folder and presenting it unnecessarily close to her face. "Didn't you get the notice? You're officially on suspension from the student council."

Akashi snatches the paper and frowns, quickly scanning through the content. "On what grounds?"

"How unfortunate," Hanamiya replies without answering her question. "Furuhashi-kun should have sent you clarifications, but don't worry, Akashi-chan. My committee will thoroughly investigate the claims made against you and come to the rightful conclusion."

Akashi does not point out the fact that Furuhashi _is_ a part of Hanamiya's committee. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath when other members of the council poke their heads into the hallway at the commotion. Akashi folds the piece of paper in her hands and looks icily at Hanamiya. "It says here that I'm being suspended due to accusations of embezzlement of council funds. You know that's preposterous." Akashi doesn't even work with the treasury or the council budget.... except for the time she picked up Haizaki's work. Akashi pauses and grips the paper tighter. 

"Now, now, let's not cause a commotion." Hanamiya waves the spectators away, although Mibuchi and Hayama seem annoyed at Hanamiya's antics. Kiyoshi appears to be hesitant, but is dragged away by a Nebuya. Hanamiya takes that as his cue. "I'm sure the truth will reveal itself in due time, Akashi-chan. Until then, you are unfortunately suspended from the council and not to be in contact with the other council members. Standard procedures, you understand."

"I see," Akashi replies before spinning on her heels and walking out. Her ponytail does a dramatic wave behind her as she exits the building, but Akashi only gets two blocks away before coming to a stop. She knows for a fact that Hanamiya is behind this, and his committee will no doubt continue to frame her. Hanamiya has made it clear that she had no allies left on the council, and right now, it feels like Akashi has no allies anywhere. 

Akashi frowns. There’s only one way of putting it. She’s _really_ screwed.


	2. Chapter 2

Akashi has a particular memory about the maple tree in her yard. It's autumn and Akashi has just decided she is never going to school again, regardless of what her father says. She paces around her favorite maple tree and eventually decides to sit at the base, waiting until her father sends a maid after her. Instead, her mother is the one who comes to retrieve her. Akashi remembers worrying about her mother's dress getting dirty as she takes a seat on the bed of leaves next to Akashi. She remembers setting her head in her mother's lap, and letting the woman run her slim fingers through Akashi's red hair. "Seira," her mother says. "We can't always run away from things that make us unhappy."

"Father says one day, when I'm powerful like him, I can make the people I hate go away." Akashi pouts.

"Maybe," her mother says, smiling strangely. "But if you do that, eventually the people you love will go away too."

"You'll be here with me, right?" Akashi asks, burying her face in her mother's side and giggling when her nose gets pinched. 

"I will always love you," her mother says indulgently. 

It took a long time for Akashi to realize that her question was never truly answered. She tries not to dwell on this particular event when there are other, happier memories to pick from. Still, sometimes Akashi finds herself admiring maple trees and sitting down in strange places.

This is how Akashi finds herself looking up as a wet nose jams itself between her knees. The staircase underneath her is cold and uninviting as she stares at the puppy currently sniffing her. Akashi doesn't know how long she's been sitting here, but she supposes this is her cue to leave.

"Nigou, behave," a familiar voice says as the puppy turns around and barks happily. Then Kuroko is scooping the dog up into her arms, tilting her head as matching blue eyes fix on Akashi. 

"Is this your dog?" Akashi asks, for lack of anything else to say. She offers her hand and lets Nigou sniff it to avoid meeting Kuroko's eye.

"Yes," Kuroko says softly, watching the exchange. "He was a stray. Kagami-kun and I found him wandering around Maji Burger and took him in." Kuroko looks up. "Akashi-san, are you perhaps waiting for Nijimura-san?"

Akashi doesn't reply, but her body betrays her as she looks at the door on the second floor of the apartment complex. The building has no elevator, and Akashi had thought that sitting on the staircase would be a sure way of running into Nijimura. Now she realizes how silly the idea was. She should have just called Nijimura, but the spare key under his plant had been moved, and Akashi had thought ... Well. 

"I live on the third floor," Kuroko explains as Nigou licks Akashi's hand. "Would you like to come in for some tea? It's cold outside, and our landlord isn't particular fond of loiterers."

"Okay," Akashi says quietly and follows Kuroko up the stairs. The soft pattering of Nigou's paws accompanies them as they make the hike to the third floor. "I didn't know you lived in this area too."

Kuroko nods as she pulls keys out of her bag. "I moved in a year ago. Kagami-kun comes over sometimes and plays on the court nearby. That's how he met Nijimura-san, I believe. Would you like to wait inside until he returns?"

“No,” Akashi decides, feeling silly. “I’ll just stay for a bit and leave. Sorry for the intrusion.”

“Akashi-san is more than welcomed here,” Kuroko replies easily. She opens the door and lets Nigou in first, his tail wagging happily. 

Kuroko's apartment is smaller than Akashi's, and Akashi takes a moment to examine the interior while slipping out of her shoes. She pauses when Nigou comes back and circles around her feet, yapping happily. Akashi kneels down and tries to pat Nigou's head, and Nigou responds by climbing on her in excitement.

"Behave," Kuroko calls from the doorway of the kitchen. "Akashi-san, please make yourself at home at the table. Would you like black tea or green?"

"Black, please," Akashi says as she takes a seat and looks around. She spots a few photo frames lining the top of the television and at least three basketballs tucked into various corners of the apartment. She looks down when Nigou whines softly under the table, debating on the etiquette of dealing with other people's pets. Thankfully, Kuroko returns soon enough with a tray.

"Will you let Nigou sit on your legs?" Kuroko asks. When Akashi nods, Kuroko snaps her fingers and pats the back of Akashi's chair. Kuroko looks amused when Akashi makes a small sound the moment Nigou jumps into her lap. 

For the most part, they drink tea quietly as Nigou makes himself comfortable using Akashi as a human pillow. Eventually, Akashi asks, "Won't Kagami be unhappy to find me here?"

"Why?" Kuroko asks, blinking.

"Because ... You know," Akashi trails off, looking into her tea. “I'm sorry about what happened."

"Oh," Kuroko says with some humor in her voice. "Kagami-kun actually refuses to talk about the tampon incident. I believe his manly soul was damaged irreparably when he had to explain the injury to his team. He likes to pretend the entire event never happened, so we don't talk about it. Aomine-san's teasing hasn't helped, either. "

Akashi stares for a beat before letting out a skeptical, " _Really_?"

"Yes, it's quite funny." Kuroko smiles into her teacup and Akashi can't help but smile back. "It wasn't really your fault, Akashi-san. Kagami-kun should not have aggressively rubbed his eyes so hard." 

That soothes Akashi's concerns, and she watches as Kuroko pours them both a second serving of tea. "How was the last club meeting?" Kuroko asks.

Akashi considers her options. Eventually, she takes a sip of her tea and sighs. "We won't be meeting for a bit, I'm afraid. I've been suspended from the student council on the accusation of siphoning funds into BFF."

Kuroko listens silently as Akashi explains the series of events that led to her sitting on the staircase on a Friday night. "What are we going to do?" She asks at last.

"We?" Akashi repeats. 

"Yes," Kuroko replies easily. "I am also a member of BFF and will be affected by this new development. More importantly, I am Akashi-san's friend, so I want to help you solve your problems. I hope you will accept my help."

It takes a moment for Akashi to find her voice, but eventually she accepts. Nigou lifts his head a little when Akashi runs a finger along the back of his ears and says, "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Kuroko goes on, sounding uncharacteristically decisive. "The club is very important to me, and Akashi-san has done a lot in helping me make friends. Without it, I probably would not have met Kagami-kun."

This is news to Akashi. She listens in fascination as Kuroko retells the story of how Murasakibara, of all people, introduced Kuroko to someone named Himuro after a run in at a cafe. Kagami, in an unsurprisingly turn of events, had shown up to borrow a notebook from Himuro and spilled coffee all over Kuroko. "He insisted on letting me change into his jacket and walking me home. He also bought me replacement coffee and dinner in apology."

"How ... Smooth," Akashi says, scratching Nigou's chin.

Kuroko just smiles cryptically. "Kagami-kun has his redeeming qualities."

It takes a moment for her to catch the sarcasm in Kuroko's voice. Akashi recognizes the line as something she said once, at a BFF meeting, about men in general. Then they're both laughing while Nigou butts Akashi's stomach happily. They talk a bit about the club and potential strategies for petition the council. When Kuroko looks at her phone, Akashi checks the time and decides to leave.

"I'll walk you out," Kuroko offers as she sets Nigou back into his crate. 

Akashi thinks nothing of it until they run into Kagami and Nijimura at the bottom of the building. Nijimura looks just as shocked as Akashi feels, for she had just decided on avoiding him for the time being. Nijimura turns to say something to Kagami, but Kuroko is already tugging the taller man up. "Kagami-kun, I need you to look over something. It’s very urgent," Kuroko says unconvincingly, and soon Akashi is standing awkwardly with Nijimura as her only companion. 

"How are you?" Nijimura asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm..." Akashi pauses. Any generic answer seems like a lie, but Akashi doesn't know if she has the energy to relay her problems to a second person today. 

"Your eyes are swollen." Nijimura takes a step forward and reaches for Akashi's face. He flinches when she jerks away. "Okay. I deserved that. Do you want to talk? Or can I walk you home? It's dark outside."

"You can walk me back," Akashi decides after a moment. They spend most of the trip in silence, the streetlights illuminating the path as they pass basketball courts and residential areas. Akashi has a lot to say but no real way of verbalizing her feelings, so she stays silent while Nijimura keeps her company.

"Okay," Nijimura says when they arrive at Akashi's building. It feels like a strange reenactment of their fight, and for some reason Akashi finds herself grabbing Nijimura's hand when he turns around to leave. 

"I'm sorry," Akashi says the same time Nijimura says, "You were right."

When Nijimura raises his eyebrows at her, Akashi insists that he goes first. This makes him laugh. "You were right about me being a jerk. I shouldn't have pressured you to behave the way I wanted you to. Only you know what's right for you." Nijimura looks apologetic, yet Akashi is afraid that Nijimura has grown tired of who she really is. Sometimes Akashi doesn't know what is right for her, but Nijimura feels like the nearest thing. 

"No," she insists. " _You_ were right about me too." She doesn't resist when Nijimura pulls her into a hug. "I don't want us to fight anymore."

"Me neither. I'm sorry," Nijimura says, stroking her head and pulling the tie out of her hair. It's a habit he developed early on in their relationship, and sometimes Nijimura would swat at her ponytail just to get her attention in the middle of study session or movie marathons. Just thinking about it makes Akashi smile.

"Do you want to come up?" She asks.

Nijimura hums. "I'm tired, though."

"So am I," she tells him, pulling him in the direction of the elevator.

"And I stink," Nijimura reminds her. "Kagami just kicked my ass at basketball and dragged me back to the apartment with a fake emergency. I couldn't even get revenge."

"Well, he has some redeeming qualities," Akashi replies instantly, grinning when Nijimura gives her a confused look. 

Later, after Nijimura has showered and climbed into bed with Akashi, he sets a hand on her hip and says seriously, "I missed you."

"Me too," Akashi says, already half asleep with her hair fanning across the pillow. She blinks hazily when Nijimura brushes bangs out of her eyes. "I had so much to tell you," she trails off as her eyelids grow heavily by the second.

"Tell me tomorrow," Nijimura whispers. "I'll be here."

In the morning, Akashi wakes to Nijimura's arm thrown across her torso. She presses her face into Nijimura's shoulder and curls her hand over his chest, above his heart. Akashi doesn't let go even after Nijimura returns to awareness, and they spend an extended amount of time pressed together with Akashi tucked into Nijimura's body. Akashi sighs when Nijimura strokes her stomach and breathes over the back of her neck. She loves this—the cuddling and proximity. "I love you," is what comes out of her mouth instead.

"Yeah." Nijimura’s voice is rough with sleep. "I love you too."

 

 

 

When Akashi asked Kuroko to meet her at the smoothie shop to brainstorm, she hadn't expected Kise to tag along. 

"Akashicchi!" Kise wails, pulling Akashi into a reluctant hug while Kuroko watches silently. "I heard from Kurokocchi that you needed help! I'm so sorry I haven't been around the club lately. I missed everything!"

"You're squeezing me too hard, Ryoko," Akashi manages to let out. When Kise pulls apart with large eyes, Akashi adds, "I appreciate your help."

What Akashi _doesn't_ appreciate is the subsequent change in the stratosphere when Momoi walks in the door with Aomine. Kise and Aomine spend a good minute staring at each other before Aomine attempts to walk right back out. Momoi seems to have predicted this and tugs Aomine to the table with Kuroko's help. 

"Dai-chan! We're here to help Akashi-chan!" Momoi insists when Aomine refuses to look at any of them. "Stop acting like a child!"

"I'm not-"

"You're not a child, yet you're incapable of apologizing," Kuroko cuts in wearily. Akashi suspects this is not the first time they've had this conversation.

Surprisingly enough, Kise is the first one to speak up. "It's okay, Kurokocchi. If Aominecchi doesn't want to talk, I will." Her pretty face skews in concentration. "Aominecchi was wrong about me attracting men on purpose. I don't appreciate you slut-shaming me for the way I look or for my profession. I'm a model because I enjoy my job, not because I want to perform for the male gaze. I like Aominecchi, but we can't be friends anymore if you don't respect me."

The table falls silent, and Akashi finds herself impressed by Kise's speech. Four pairs of eyes fall on Aomine as Momoi unsubtly elbows her. 

Instead of replying, Aomine lets out a frustrated grunt and spends a minute fussing up her hair. "Okay!" Aomine says, meeting Kise's eyes. "I was wrong. I'm sorry. You can't help being hot, _I get it_."

"Dai-chan, that is _not_ what we practiced-" Momoi starts to say.

"I'm sorry!" Aomine adds, leaning over the table and towards a wide-eyed Kise. "You looked _really_ hot in that lingerie shoot, and I got jealous."

Kise blinks, her long eyelashes fanning across rosy cheeks. "You were jealous of ... My body?"

Akashi feels the need to bring her palm to her face. She even spots Kuroko rolling her eyes across the table. 

"No!" Aomine yells, back to messing up her own hair in frustration. She sits down when people from the other tables start to stare. "Anyways, I was wrong. I apologize for disrespecting you and blaming you for things outside of your control." In a completely uncharacteristic move, she looks away with a flush on her cheeks. "Will you forgive me?"

"Yes," Kise says quietly, blushing.

Akashi spends two whole minutes watching Kise and Aomine flush at each other before speaking up. "So, Kuroko mentioned that she had a plan?"

"Actually," Momoi says with a brilliant smile. " _I_ do."

 

 

 

According Momoi's sources, Furuhashi Koujirou has been in Hanamiya Makoto's circle since his first year of university. Although completely unremarkable in academics and extracurricular activities, he was able to join the student council under Hanamiya's committee. He also has accounting class before the student council meeting every Tuesday, which requires him to carry his council files between classes.

So when Furuhashi walks out of the accounting building the following week, he's shocked when someone slams the door shut on his face and even more alarmed when a pretty blonde greets him after the initial impact. 

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking at where I was going!" Kise says when Furuhashi sits up from the floor. She cradles his chin in her hands and presses her face close to his. "Are you okay? Your face is red!"

"I—" Furuhashi starts to say, but stops to examine his bag, the contents now spilled across the floor post-impact. He looks around as Kise and a few bystanders begin to pick up his stuff. "It's okay! I've got it!"

"Let me help you!" Kise insists as she neatly scoops everything up. "You don't have anywhere to be after this, do you? Why don't we go to the student clinic? I'm worried about your head!"

"It's fine," Furuhashi says, but stops when tears swell up in Kise's eyes. "Eh ... I have another meeting in half an hour, but I can swing by the clinic if you insist?"

"I insist," Kise says, smiling slowly and grabbing Furuhashi's arm. "I would feel so much better if you could get it checked out!"

They're barely out of the building when Kuroko joins Akashi and Momoi by the second floor railing, where they watched the entire scene unfold. "Did you get it?" Akashi asks.

Kuroko waves the manila folder with the student council logo in her hands. "Yes. Kise-san's performance was quite moving, too."

"It's not hard to feign concern with that kind of impact," Momoi says with a smile on his face. "Dai-chan, were you aiming to hit him or kill him?"

"Shut up," Aomine growls. "You wanted it to look realistic."

Their bickering, however, is cut short when Akashi opens the folder and begins taking photos with her phone. Akashi goes through the pages meticulously while Momoi peers over her shoulders. She's done within five minutes, handing the folder to Aomine with the instructions for returning it to Kise and her new friend. 

"It won't be a challenge for you, right?" Akashi asks.

Aomine grins. "Please, give me some credit. I know how to cause a distraction."

Akashi doesn't doubt it. An hour later, she's camped out in Kuroko's room with the stolen files transferred onto her laptop when Aomine and Kise join them. 

"How did it go?" Midorima asks while Akashi is scrutinizing her computer screen.

Kise winked. "I slipped it back into his bag while Aominecchi feigned a coughing fit. We were a perfect combination~"

"Where's Tetsu?" Aomine asks, looking around. Kuroko's apartment had been the closest to campus, and they'd migrated from the living room after discovering that Akashi's charger was too short to reach the table from the wall socket. 

"She's answering a call on the balcony," Momoi explains when Aomine makes herself at home on Kuroko's bed. 

Murasakibara makes a noise as she pops another chip into her mouth. "That's rude, Minechin."

"You're the one getting crumbs everywhere!"

"Yes, but not on Kurochin's _bed_ ," Murasakibara replies absently.

"Fight me," Aomine declares with no heat in her voice. She turns to Momoi. "Did you get anything useful out of there?"

Midorima, more used to explaining complicated topics after her recent exposure to Takao, is the first one to speak up. "All we know is that the budget requests Akashi filed was correct. The incorrect ones were done by someone named Haizaki a week prior. Hanamiya has merely switched the two files and framed Akashi for Haizaki’s work."

This much, Akashi already suspected. 

"So Haizaki is also one of Hanamiya’s underlings?" Murasakibara asks, twisting her head to look at them.

Akashi considers this. "Maybe, but Haizaki stopped attending council meetings weeks ago. Hanamiya's committee has done more than their share of questionable deeds in the past, but they've always been able to mask it somehow. His committee hasn't changed very much since his inauguration, and they've never shied away from the public eye."

"Interesting," Momoi says, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, why don't we just go find Haizaki?" Kise asks while browsing through Kuroko's shelves. She pouts when Midorima tsks loudly. "What?"

"Do you really think they will confess the truth?" Midorima takes a moment to clean her glasses. "Don't be so naive."

Kise pouts and turns to the bookcase. "Fine, don't listen to me."

"Well?" Midorima asks Akashi expectantly.

"Something doesn't seem right," Akashi agrees the same time Kise lets out a confused noise. They turn to find the blond holding three books in her hands, leaving a visible gap in the row of books lining the shelf. "What's wrong?" Akashi asks, her patience wearing thin.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Momoi says, which only fuels everyone's curiosity. 

"Why is there another row of books hidden behind the first one?" Kise wonders as she pulls what appear to be manga volumes from the back of Kuroko's shelves.

That's how Kuroko walks into her room ten minutes later to find everyone perusing through her extensive Boy’s Love collection. She glances from the manga on the floor to the doujinshi open in Kise's lap and pales.

"This one is about dramatic murders," Aomine says as she reads the English on the CD case. "Wow Tetsu, I didn't know you were into such grimy stuff!" She ducks when Kuroko launches one of Nigou's chew toys at her face.

"I told them to stop," Momoi adds unconvincingly, as if he had been waiting to share the discovery with someone all along. 

Murasakibara flips through another page of a notebook and glances up from her crouched position on the ground. "Kurochin has really interesting ideas. I didn't know you could write such intense scenes between two men."

"Well, this explains why you were so knowledgeable about the topic of our last debate," is all Midorima says. 

Kuroko closes her eyes and seems to be counting down in her head. Eventually, she turns to Momoi. " _Explain_ , please."

"Kurokocchi!" Kise stands up, looking determined. "It's okay to be a fujoushi! This is the twenty-first century! It's totally understandable for young, healthy women to have hobbies and interests like this!"

Akashi looks at the box filled with a headset, microphone, and recording device. "What I'm curious about is why this audio equipment was hidden."

"Tetsu-chan is the host of a BL podcast," Momoi answers before Kuroko can interrupt. "Sorry! I couldn't tell anyone for _ages_! It was _killing me_!"

"Well," Kuroko says eventually, taking a seat on the floor. "I see no point in denying it anymore. Just say what you will."

"Does Bakagami know?" Aomine asks as she reads the descriptions on the back of the drama CD.

Kuroko appears to be expecting this question. "Yes."

"How many listeners does your podcast have?" Kise wants to know. "What do you talk about on there?"

"Roughly 100," Kuroko replies after some thought. "I discuss recent developments in ongoing series and thoughts I have on character interactions."

"Where is the next volume of Viewfinder?" Murasakibara asks, flipping through the manga in her hands and ignoring Midorima's indignant _you couldn't have possibly read all that in ten minutes!_

"How would Midorima-san know about the length of the series if she's never read any of it?" Kuroko asks with a hint of a smile as Midorima turns red.

They're still half-laughing, half-questioning Kuroko when the door to the apartment opens. Nigou comes padding in to greet them, wagging his tail as he circles around the room excitedly. Kagami pokes his head in a minute later, takes one look at the contents of the room, says "I am _not_ getting myself into this," and walks off. 

"Oi, Kagami! Where do you want me to put this frisbee?" Nijimura's voice calls out, and Akashi can't help herself from smiling. "Where did Nigou go?"

When Nigou barks at his name, Nijimura looks into the room and blinks.

"Hi, _Senpai~_ " The girls chorus with various levels of enthusiasm. 

"What are you all doing?" Nijimura asks cautiously. 

"How do you feel about BL, Senpai?” Kise asks, holding up a particularly incriminating manga cover and laughing when Kuroko snatches it from her hands. 

Nijimura looks at Akashi as if trying to read her response. When Akashi raises her eyebrows at him, he frowns. “I have no comments.”

Akashi smiles at that and pats the spot on the rug next to her. Her fondness grows when Nijimura takes a seat wordlessly and pulls his legs into a butterfly position. “We’re in the middle of a strategy meeting,” she explains, nodding at the laptop open on Kuroko’s bed. “Unfortunately, we’ve hit a dead end.”

“Why don’t we just show the council what we already have?” Aomine asks, tapping Akashi’s laptop.

Kuroko sighs as she begins to rearrange the contents of her bookshelf. “That was an obvious breach of an investigation. Plus, Hanamiya can easily accuse us of forging the documents. The student council would never accept something like that as evidence, unless Haizaki came forward as well.” 

“Haizaki?” Nijimura asks, looking intrigued. “Haizaki Shunko?” When everyone turns to look at him, Nijimura groans. “What kind of mess did she get herself into this time?”

“Do you know her?” Akashi asks, nudging him a little with her shoulder. 

“Yeah. She was my kouhai in high school and had an unprecedented talent for getting into shit.” Nijimura runs a hand through his bangs, looking half-annoyed and half-frustrated. “She was also one of the students I tutored, although I had to hunt her down half the time and kick her ass into gear. Her mom is a family friend, so I’ve known her forever.” He pulls out his phone and scrolls through a few frames before turning the screen over. 

Everyone crowds around the phone to look at a photo of a younger Nijimura with three students clad in high school uniforms. Akashi has seen her a few times at council meetings, but she recognizes Haizaki on the right, looking defiant with the diploma in her hand. Her smile is all-teeth as she leans into a proud-looking Nijimura. 

Akashi looks at her boyfriend. “I didn’t know this.”

“It’s been a while. I’ve been busy with, well.” The _you_ goes unsaid.

“I know who that is,” Midorima says quietly. When everyone turns to look at her, she frowns. “You may know that I intern as a receptionist at a Women’s Health clinic. We get a lot of patients coming through, but I remember her very clearly.” She points at Haizaki on the phone screen. 

Nijimura is the first to speak up. “And?”

Midorima looks conflicted.

“Hey,” Nijimura says. “Was she ill or something? You don’t have to tell me the details. Haizaki gets herself into a lot of dumb shit. If she’s really sick, then I should probably check up on her.”

“It’s not that,” Midorima says at last. Her voice is quiet and contemplative. “I recall the fuss she made in the lobby before her procedure. If I remembered correctly, she was getting an abortion.”

 

 

 

 

“Perhaps you should take some time to cool down,” Akashi suggests when they’re climbing the stairs in Haizaki’s apartment complex. She sighs when Nijimura gives her a look, and says nothing more as they continue their ascend. Akashi knows this isn’t her fight anymore, but for some reason she had insisted on coming along.

“Her mom says she’s still living in this building,” Nijimura mutters, almost to himself as he double checks the address on his phone. He pauses when Akashi sets a hand on his arm. “What?”

“Don’t do anything rash,” she reminds him before they ring the doorbell. When no one answers, Akashi watches as Nijimura continues jabbing the button. “That’s hardly effective,” she starts to say, but stops when the door is yanked open.

“What do you want?!” Haizaki demands behind the door, clad in a tank top and shorts. She blinks at the sight of Akashi, then Nijimura. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

“Can we come in?” Akashi asks when Nijimura looks visibly irritated.

“No. I don’t want to talk to either of you, so get lost,” Haizaki says immediately. Her hair is tied into a messy knot and she looks strangely pale. Haizaki is about to slam the door shut when Nijimura sets his hand on the frame, hissing when it makes contact with the door. “God! What the fuck is wrong with you?! I’m not paying for your hospital bill if that’s broken!” Regardless, she opens the door wider to examine his hand. When Nijimura hisses, she steps back. “Fine, come in if you want. I’ll go find something, but don’t expect tea and cookies.”

“What?” Nijimura snaps when Akashi stares at him. “Come on, let’s go.”

Haizaki’s apartment is small and messy, with clothes thrown across various surfaces. Nijimura almost trips on a box in the doorway and mutters something under his breath when Haizaki reappears. She throws an icepack at his face and shrugs when he catches it with his good hand. Haizaki looks at Akashi for a moment and says, “Did Hanamiya send you after me?”

Akashi thinks about her words. Why would Hanamiya willingly send someone after his underlings? 

“Why is this place such a dump?” Nijimura demands as he looks around. “I thought you got your shit together.”

“Wow, so demanding,” Haizaki says, sounding annoyed. “If you must know, I’m dropping out of school.”

“What? Why?! You were fine the last time we talked!” Nijimura says. “Your mom says you’re doing well in your classes and involved with student council stuff!”

“Is that what this is about?” Haizaki turns around and flops down on the couch, next to a stack of boxes. She looks between Akashi and Nijimura. “Oh, don’t tell me. The two of you are together? This is rich.” She leans forward on her arms and gives them a good view of her cleavage. “I didn’t know your type was prissy princesses. You’ve leveled up, _senpai_.”

“Leave Seira out of this,” Nijimura snaps before Akashi can say anything. 

“But Miss Vice President came here to visit _me_!” Haizaki grins. “How nice of her!”

“I’ve been suspended,” Akashi informs her, crossing her arms. “You helped Hanamiya frame me.”

Haizaki gives her a sour look. “If you think I _wanted_ to help that piece of garbage-”

“Then why did you?” Akashi asks, running through scenarios in her head.

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.” Haizaki leans back and puts her legs up on the coffee table. “Neither of us can do anything about Hanamiya. At least you got out of this mess in better shape than I did.”

Nijimura and Akashi look at each other before Nijimura speaks up. “We know about your abortion.”

It takes a moment for Haizaki to reply. When she does, it’s with a livid expression on her face. “What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why do you always have to go poking around my life?! You’re not my fucking handler so just fuck off already!” She throws a pillow cushion at Nijimura and fumes when she misses. 

“Shuuzou is worried about you,” Akashi says as calmly as she can. She presses a hand to Nijimura’s chest to stop him from retaliating.

Haizaki laughs in a way that suggests she doesn’t find this funny at all. “I’m sure he is, but not as much as he worries about _you_ or your position. That’s what you’re here for, right? Don’t give me the ‘an enemy of an enemy is a friend’ bullshit. There’s nothing I can do against Hanamiya!”

“Why did you help him?” Akashi asks as Nijimura takes to pacing around the room in frustration.

“I fucked up, okay?” Haizaki hisses as her shoulders shake. “It’s not the first time, but I fucked up a lot. The abortion is just half of it. I don’t know how Hanamiya found out, but that asshole has dirt on everyone. He threatened to show my clinic records to my mom.” She gives Akashi a dry laugh. “You don’t understand what it’s like. _You_ have people looking out for you. _You_ have righteous idiots like him fighting for you.” She looks at Nijimura, who just stares back at her. 

Akashi thinks about the difference between herself and Haizaki. Then, she takes a step forward. “I’ll look out for you.”

“What?” Haizaki says, sounding offended.

“I’ll fight for you,” Akashi decides. “Your health records should be confidential information. I don’t know how Hanamiya got his hands on it, but it’s illegal. I looked into the clinic and found that it’s actually a private practice owned by the Kyoto Medical Group, which is a part of the Akashi Conglomerate.” She waits for the information to sink in. “I’ll have my representatives speak with the director of the clinic and withdraw your files. Your family wouldn’t be impulsive enough to believe Hanamiya without a confirmation, right? I’ll make sure all of your records are transferred and locked by then.”

“I don’t need your help.” Haizaki hisses. “Just because you’re fucking my old babysitter-”

“You’re wrong,” Akashi tells her firmly, finding a piece of paper on the coffee table and writing down her number. Akashi thinks about what she would have done if this happened to herself, Kuroko, or any of her friends. “It’s not just you. I would do this for anyone, but I won’t force you. Whether you did or didn’t get an abortion is none of my business. I can’t make you seek help, but I’ll wait for you to consider my offer.”

If possible, Haizaki just look more upset. “The two of you deserve each other. Don’t you get it? You can’t _save_ me!”

“You can’t just run away from things that make you unhappy,” Akashi tells her simply. “I know you don’t want to hear this from me, but it’s the truth. Consider my offer, please.”

It’s not until Haizaki has kicked them both out that Nijimura speaks up. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you say ‘please.’” He walks a bit closer to her and slips his hand into hers. “Thanks, by the way.”

“For coming with you?” 

“For helping Haizaki,” Nijimura corrects as he looks at her. He seems different today. Older, maybe. “I thought for sure you would try to negotiate and ask her to come forward against Hanamiya.”

Akashi had thought so too, going in. She strokes the inside of Nijimura’s palm with her thumb and sighs. The sunset over the horizon paints the sky red as Akashi spots a playground off the sidewalk. She tugs Nijimura towards it and doesn’t speak up until they’re both seated on adjacent swings. “She was right,” Akashi says, pushing herself off the ground with her legs.

“What part?” Nijimura asks, barely hovering in his swing. 

Akashi watches the ground move underneath her and grips the metal chain tighter. “Girls like Haizaki don’t have people looking out for them. They get exploited because people like Hanamiya think it’s acceptable to use personal information to control them. It’s unacceptable.”

Nijimura watches her but says nothing.

“Also,” Akashi looks at him as her swing comes to a stop. She climbs onto the seat and pulls herself up. “She was right about me. I got out of this mess better than she did. Regardless of my position in the student council or lack thereof, I will still inherit my father’s company and succeed. People like me will always have more resources and opportunities than others. Haizaki needs someone to fight for her, so I will.”

“You’re really something,” Nijimura says as he stands up. He walks behind Akashi’s swing and sets his hands on her hips. “This is dangerous, by the way.”

Akashi scoffs. “Going against Hanamiya?” 

“No, standing on the swing.” Nijimura gives her a small push as her swing begins moving. “My kid brother broke his arm this way, once.”

Akashi hums and looks behind her shoulder. “But you’ll be here with me, right?”

“Yeah.” Nijimura gives her a crooked smile. “Thanks again for helping Haizaki. She needs it.”

The creaking of the chains is his only response as Akashi considers everything that happened today. “Were you ever romantically involved with her?”

“What?”

“You were really upset,” Akashi reminds him. She had never seen Nijimura act that way before, and some parts of her wonder if he would do the same for her. 

Nijimura makes a frustrated sound and pulls her close to him, halting the trajectory of the swing. “Nothing happened between us. She was like an obnoxious sister whose mess I was constantly cleaning up. Thank God my own sister is too young to get knocked up.”

“What about me?” Akashi asks, leaning back into Nijimura’s touch and looking up when he freezes. She turns a bit in his embrace and watches his face go through a series of emotions. “It’s a hypothetic question, Shuuzou.”

In response, Nijimura kisses her cheek. “I trust you to make the right decision about your body, and I’d support you regardless of what you decide. Happy?”

Akashi kisses him back. She’s more than happy.

 

 

 

The next morning, Akashi wakes to find Nijimura cooking breakfast in the kitchen. She takes a seat at the table and pulls her hair into a high ponytail, shaking bangs out of her face as she yawns. They eat in relative silence while Nijimura eyes her from across the table. Finally, he says, “Are you wearing my shirt?”

Akashi did, indeed, dig through Nijimura’s closet this morning before picking out an old t-shirt. It was long enough to reach her mid-thigh, and Akashi felt it would be enough to tide her over until after breakfast. “Yes,” she says defiantly.

Nijimura just rolls his eyes. “Finish your food.”

“I’m done,” she declares a few minutes later and helps him clear the table. They don’t spend as much time in Njiimura’s apartment as they do at hers, but Akashi likes coming here simply for the fact that everything smells like him. Akashi looks over when he hisses, padding over to the sink to turn the water off. She takes his hand into hers and examines the pinky and ring finger, now taped together. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just jammed it a bit. It’s fin-” He stops talking when Akashi brings his hand up and kisses his knuckles. The silence is met by the sound of Akashi’s mouth as she laps at his free fingers with her tongue slowly, methodically. 

“I’m glad,” she tells him, peering up through her eyelashes before she takes his fingers into her mouth. Akashi waits a beat before Nijimura pulls his hand away. She’s not surprised when he kisses her, one hand set on the small of her back as Akashi loops her arms around his neck. They kiss unhurriedly and move towards the couch, Akashi smiling to herself when he pushes her back. 

“You are so unfair,” Nijimura says as he kneels in front of her, his fingers moving to caress her bare thighs. The look he shoots her is hot and accusatory as he hoists her leg up and starts trailing kisses over it. Every press of his lips send little jolts through Akashi’s body, and she finds herself sighing quietly while stoking his hair. “How can you be so good yet so bad?” He asks. 

Akashi can’t help but laugh, caressing his jaw with her fingers as he looks up at her. “I’ll be good for you, Shuuzou-senpai.”

Nijimura responds by burying his face in her stomach. He pushes up the hem of his shirt, completely too large on her frame, and licks a wet stripe up to the base of her breasts. For a moment, Akashi wonders if he’d find the origin of “BFF” funny. But then she’s arcing up as he sucks on her nipple, hard and pink. “You’re thinking too much,” he tells her while doing something entirely distracting with his tongue.

Akashi opens her legs wider in response, pulling his face forward until he’s leaning over her and kissing her again. Her hands run down the plane of his back and settle on his arms, strong and solid over her. When Nijimura licks into the roof of her mouth, Akashi makes a soft sound and presses her body against his. She can already feel his hard-on through the fabric of his sweat pants. “Shuuzou,” she whispers, rubbing herself against his leg. “Touch me.”

He smiles into her mouth. “So demanding.” 

It’s strange, really. Everything Akashi knew about love and sex, she learned from Nijimura. Yet he had a habit of looking at her, sometimes, like he was seeing her for the first time. She lifts her hips up when he carefully peels off her panties, watching him watch her as he kisses down her knees, then calves. Akashi almost laughs when he discards her underwear onto the floor. “You’ll have to clean that,” she says.

“I thought you were gonna be good today,” Nijimura reminds her. 

Akashi lowers her eyelashes as she leans on her elbows. “Yes, senpai.” 

“Don’t do that,” he says while stripping out of his shirt. “It’s distracting.”

“Then tell me what you want me to do.” She stops flirting, however, when he climbs onto her and begins rubbing her clit. Akashi closes her eyes and feels him soak his fingers in her wetness.

“You’re really excited,” Nijimura says, sounding amazed. 

“It’s because of you, sen- _Ah_. Senpai.” She embraces the sweet burn of arousal when he easily slips a finger in. Akashi feels her face burn when he inserts another finger into her, stroking her sweet spot. “You’re really goo- _ah_ -good at this.”

Nijimura tsks in a way that conveys his amusement. “Thanks. I try.” He pauses when her hands land on the waistband of his pants and doesn’t complain when she pushes it down. “Sei?”

Akashi shudders as she tightens around his fingers. “I want to touch you, but I want you to touch me too.” She looks up at him and frowns. “It’s difficult to choose.” 

What she receives is barely-concealed laughter as Nijimura kisses her jaw, then her cheeks, then her forehead. “You’re ridiculous,” he says, sliding another digit into her and curling against her walls. “Wait, Sei,” he reminds her when she pulls him forward.

It’s with some level of amazement that she watches him pull a condom out of nowhere. “How?” She asks, not bothering with complete sentences as his other hand rocks steadily into her. 

“I’m trying to impress you. Is it working?” He asks before ripping the wrapper with his teeth. 

“Fuck me already,” Akashi decides, taking the condom and rolling it over his cock. She makes a whining noise when his fingers slip out.

Nijimura makes a show of licking his fingers clean before lining himself up with her, his body now enclosed between her legs. He closes his eyes before entering her, and Akashi tries her best to relax around him as pleasure ripples through her body. It’s been too long, she thinks. “ _Shuuzou_ ,” she says when he’s fully seated in her.

“Yeah, I know,” he grunts, slowly rocking his hips in an unhurried motion. “"Mmn … Sei, you’re so-"

She looks up and tries to memorize the look on his face. In an attempt to do _something_. Akashi clamps down on Nijimura to increase the friction. “It’s fine, go faster.” She throws her head back when Nijimura complies, filling her in a steady, hard rhythm. Akashi never really gets used to the hot slide of him inside of her, but she reveres the noises he makes when her voice breaks into incoherent fragments of “Shuuzou-senpai, _please_!”

“Yes,” he says, gripping her hips tightly as he frowns in concentration. Akashi wants to touch his face, his chest, his everything. She settles with digging the heel of her feet into his back and pulling him closer. 

Nijimura responds with deeper thrusts, brushing against her sweet spot and setting every nerve in her body on fire. Every snap of his hips seem more hurried, less coordinated as Akashi shivers around him. “Seira, I’m-”

“ _Please_ ,” she cries, lifting her hips and opening herself more and more for him. She squeezes her eyes shut when his cock jerks inside of her. Akashi bites the rise of Nijimura’s shoulder as orgasm rips through her. 

When Akashi opens her eyes again, Nijimura has already pulled out of her and cleaned up. He looks down fondly and pets her hair. “I drew up a bath. Do you want to walk or do you want me to carry you?”

“I can walk,” she says, giving him a dirty look that he just laughs at.

“I take back what I said,” Nijimura says when they’re seated in the bathtub, Akashi’s back pressed against his chest. “You do say ‘please’ a lot.” When Akashi pinches the inside of his thigh in retaliation, he sets his face on her shoulder and pulls her in like he can’t get enough of her. 

 

 

 

Logically speaking, Akashi already has a plan in mind when she goes to find Midorima. Although preparing battle tactics is Akashi’s forte, she’s gotten more accustomed to running her ideas by other people. She considers this an improvement, really. Yet, Akashi starts to doubt her timing in socializing when Takao opens Midorima’s dorm door after the third knock.

Akashi stares, her fist frozen mid-knock as she reexamines the number on the door. Recently, she’s beginning to think that she doesn’t know everything, after all.

“Is that the food?” Midorima asks, appearing in Akashi’s sight while running a towel through her hair. She waits a second, maybe two, before flushing completely red.

“Sooo,” Takao drawls out with a grin. “Do you want me to let Akashi-chan in or not?”

“Of course!” Midorima says, glaring at Takao as he steps aside. She scrambles around for a bit to find her glasses, then gestures for Akashi to take a seat.

Takao makes a vague notion with his hands before going into the next room. “I’m gonna give you girls some space.” 

“He _does_ realize that’s the _bathroom_ , right?” Akashi asks, turning to Midorima. When Midorima doesn’t reply, she continues. “I’m sorry for intruding on you. I remembered that you didn’t have class at this time and wanted to come by and talk.”

Midorima’s normally neat bangs are flattened to her forehead as tendrils of water drip from her long, un-brushed hair. Still, her signature blush is there as she nods at Akashi. “I presume you want to discuss the plan?”

“Actually, I want to discuss how long you’ve been seeing Takao.” Akashi smiles deliberately, looking at the door to the bathroom. “That is, if you don’t mind.”

Midorima’s fingers automatically go to her hair, and Akashi watches as she combs through it in nervousness. For someone so easily flustered, Midorima has done a commendable job at keeping her relationship private. “I-” She starts to say, her face now matching the red frames of her glasses.

“Shiina, relax. I’m just teasing you.” Akashi smiles, leaning back in her chair. “Who you decide to interact with is your business. Takao is … well. He’s interesting.”

“I thought you disliked him,” Midorima replies instantly.

Akashi considers this. Now Midorima’s flustered, clammed up behavior makes more sense. “I disliked him because it seemed like _you_ disliked him, but it appears I misread the atmosphere. I admit that’s been happening a lot. But you’re an independent woman who can make her own decisions.” 

“Thank you,” Midorima says quietly. 

They spend a while smiling at each other until Takao calls from the bathroom, “Hey Shiina-chan! I’m glad you girls are making up and all, but what’s the WIFI password again?”

Something clicks in Akashi’s brain. 

 

 

 

Akashi is already waiting when Hanamiya arrives in the empty classroom. She turns around when he enters, the feeling of anxiety bubbling in the pit of her stomach as he leers at her. “I see you actually showed up.”

“Of course,” Hanamiya says as he takes a seat on top of a desk. “I’m curious as to what you have to say to me, Akashi-chan. Or maybe you’ve given up and have decided to win my favor another way? This _is_ a rather empty building, after all”

The anxiety quickly turns to disgust. “No,” Akashi tells him, glaring. “I’m here to discuss the suspension. I know what you did to frame me, Hanamiya-kun.”

Hanamiya claps once, then twice. “Oh really? So you did talk to Haizaki-chan after all. The two of you have a lot in common, you know.”

Akashi wills the rage down and reminds herself what she came here for. “I’m disgusted by the way you exploited her, but this is about you and me.”

“Of course,” Hanamiya coos mockingly. “Strong-willed little Akashi-chan, always so opinionated with a chip on her shoulders. I did some research. What’s a rich heiress like you doing here, filing paper work in the student council? The more I saw you around, the more you pissed me off.”

“What a pointless reason for being angry,” Akashi scoffs.

“I suppose picking you as a target was rather moot,” Hanamiya agrees vaguely, his voice carrying through the empty room. “Your reaction was less than entertaining. You should have seen Haizaki-chan’s face when I confronted her, though. I love it when pretty girls get so riled up that they become absolutely ugly.”

Akashi refrains from doing anything rash. Instead, she takes a deep breath and continues. “I did some research too. The money that you made Haizaki move is still missing. I’m sure you planned on blaming me for taking it, but then I began to wonder. Why did you only appropriate such a small sum of money? The student council has more than enough funds to burn through, so you must have another use for it.”

“Oh?” Hanamiya asks, sounding amused.

“At first I believed that you only used Haizaki to get to me. She was a disposable pawn in your plan, but was I truly your end game?” Akashi continues, stepping closer. “It’s possible that you wanted to get rid of me to take my position in the student council, but you would have little to gain in the reappointment process. Your explanation for disliking me is weak and unimpressive, so I must not be your real target after all.” She looks at him and narrows her eyes. “Tell me, Hanamiya-kun. Who are you really going after?”

She’s surprised when he makes a nasty sound. It takes a moment for Akashi to realize that Hanamiya is actually laughing. She listens as he heaves loudly, his voice rising over the room and covering up the sound of students outside of the window. 

“You’re smart, Akashi-chan,” Hanamiya says, his voice dropping lower as his expression changes. “You’re a bossy bitch that gets on my nerves, but you’re not nearly important enough for me to target. Dealing with you has been more of a headache than anything, but I will commend you on your investigative skills. It’s too bad that you have no proof against me.”

“Why did you do all this?” She asks again.

“Why?” Hanamiya repeats, sounding hysterical. “Why _not_?! I already told you. There’s nothing that delights me more than riling people up and watching them lose themselves in anger. You’re not the first person I’ve screwed over, and you won’t be the last. But I’ll indulge your little detective fantasies. After I get rid of you, the money will eventually bounce from account to account until it ends up in Kiyoshi’s name.”

Akashi takes a moment to digest this. “President Kiyoshi? You’re after _him_?”

“I hate people like you.” Hanamiya growls out. “But I hate people like Kiyoshi even more. You’re stupid if you think I want your position, or anyone’s position. The student council is a joke. I hate dumbasses who puts so much effort into doing something just because they feel _responsible_. I’m fucking with you because I _can_. What are you going to do about it? _Tell on me_? Even if you predicted the money would end up in Kiyoshi’s account, the easiest option would be to assume _you_ put it there.”

Akashi knows Hanamiya is right. She had, indeed, underestimated him. “You just want to watch the entire council go down in flames.”

“Yeah.” Hanamiya gives her an ugly smile. “And you’ll have no way of proving that it was me. Just being privy to the details of my plan is incriminating enough, don’t you think, _Akashi-chan_?” He laughs again, doubling over in a strange sort of madness as Akashi watches patiently. 

“Are you done?” She asks after a while, folding her arms.

“No,” Hanamiya leers at her. “But you’re done for, Akashi-chan.”

“You’re right,” Akashi says eventually as she pulls out the microphone from her pocket. “That’s why I recorded our exchange in advance.” 

As expected, Hanamiya snatches the object out of her hands. His expression goes through a series of changes as he crumbles the microphone in his hands. “You-”

“You can keep it,” Akashi tells him as she walks slowly to the door. “Did you know that podcasts are incredibly popular in this day and age? Wireless microphones are easy to configure, and audio can be streamed live to various devices.” She checks her phone when Hanamiya’s face grows livid. “You’re right that this building is slightly remote, but it’s still within walking distance from the student activities building where the council usually meets. I sent them the streaming link and location of our little chat approximately fifteen minutes ago.”

Akashi opens the door to reveal half of the council standing in the hallway, holding their phones. Nebuya looks particular angry while Mibuchi and Hayama stare openly. Kiyoshi’s expression is unreadable, but his silence is overlapped by the whispering of the other council members behind them. Akashi can also see Aomine and Murasakibara in the back of the crowd, looking accomplished after spending all morning taping additional microphones to the ceiling.

“Oh, and you were wrong about me being a bossy bitch.” Akashi turns to Hanamiya. She flips her hair behind her shoulders. “I’m not bossy. I _am_ the boss.”

 

 

 

 

In the aftermath of the student council clash, Akashi finds her reputation escalating to a whole new level. She’s not sure if it’s with respect or fear that people look at her, but that doesn’t stop Akashi from making the trip to the basketball courts as people whisper in her wake. 

“It’s like Akashi-san is a celebrity,” Kuroko says, tugging on Nigou’s leash when he wanders too far off the sidewalk.

“Hardly,” Akashi says. If anything, she has toned down the dramatics in recent months. Even Murasakibara has commented that she has mellowed out more and is “significantly less picky.”

Aomine and Kise are already at the bleachers when they arrive, siting unnecessarily close to each other as Nigou runs up to greet them. Midorima appears a few minutes later, holding a water bottle in her hands and ignoring Kise’s comments of, _what a strange lucky item, Midorimacchi~_

“This is really troublesome,” Murasakibara yawns as she leans against the railing, watching the men warm up. “What is the purpose of this, Akachin?”

“We are here to observe and objectify men’s bodies the way they often do to ours,” Akashi tells her easily, sliding sunglasses onto her face. When the girls turn to her, she gives them a small shrug. “I’m joking. I thought it would be a nice day to watch some basketball.”

Murasakibara mumbles something that sounds like, “I watch Murochin play enough already.”

“Hey, Akashi-chan!” A loud voice calls out, and Akashi looks down when Hayama comes bouncing over. “I didn’t know you liked basketball!”

Mibuchi wanders over as well. “Hello, Sei-chan. Are you here to support our team?” He nods over to where Kiyoshi and Nebuya are currently stretching. 

“I’ll cheer for you,” Akashi replies, a smile growing on her face when Nijimura throws a basketball at Hayama’s head. 

“Stop goofing off and warm up properly,” Nijimura says when Hayama wines. He gives Mibuchi a look and frowns deeply when Mibuchi says something suggestive. 

“Wait!” Hayama says, eventually catching on. “Niji-chan and Akashi-chan are _dating_? This is incredible! You’re both so cool! Akashi-chan was super awesome the other day too! Wahhh, this is unbelievable!” 

“He’s easily excitable,” Mibuchi tells them as he drags Hayama away. 

“Hey,” Nijimura says, setting his hand on the railing between the bleachers and court.

Akashi curls her hand into his and smiles. “Hello.”

“Ew, get your public displays of affection away from here!” Aomine tells them.

“Minechin is the last person who should be telling Akachin that,” Murasakibara says, sounding bored. Her comment sends Kise into a fit of giggles, but Aomine has already moved on to yelling _Kagami, you suck! Even Satoki can play better than you_ and cringing when Momoi demands to know what she means by that.

Kuroko tries, in vain, to stop Aomine from riling up her boyfriend while they watch. Thankfully, everyone’s attention is diverted when Takao comes over to greet Midorima.

“Yoohoo, Shiina-chan~” He grins, looking down when Nigou comes over to sniff him.

Midorima shoves the water bottle at Takao. “Take it and go play already!”

“You too,” Akashi reminds Nijimura and watches as everyone returns to the court.

The game is barely a minute in before everyone starts to tease Midorima.

 

 

 

 

Unsurprisingly, things settle down quickly. Akashi is beginning to fall back into a routine when she finds someone unexpected waiting for her. “Hello,” Akashi says when she comes to a stop. 

“Hi,” Haizaki says, looking less pale than the last time they met. She’s clad in jeans and a hoodie today, and for a moment Akashi can see someone like her growing up with Shuuzou. “Eh. Niji told me I’d find you here. I heard about what happened with Hanamiya. News travels fast around this place.”

“Yes,” Akashi agrees, waiting for her to continue. 

It takes a moment for Haizaki to speak again. This time, she meets Akashi’s eyes. “Thanks for not getting me involved. Hanamiya stopped bothering me and the clinic called to apologize for the information leak. I’ve decided to stay in school, at least for the semester. Who knows what’ll happen later…”

“Have you told Shuuzou?” 

Surprisingly enough, Haizaki rolls her eyes. Her hair almost looks silver under the light, and the grin she shoots Akashi is familiar. “Yeah, and he told me to talk to you. The two of you are _something_ , alright.” She pauses when Akashi blinks at her. “Also, I wanted to thank you for helping me. No one’s really stuck out for me like that. Well, Niji did, but only after he spent a year yelling at me.”

“You’re welcome,” Akashi says and chooses to leave her questions about Nijimura’s discipline tactics for another time. “I, too, am glad that things are settled with the student council.”

Haizaki, for someone who gives off such an uncaring vibe, is rather good at reading between the lines. “Are you not rejoining the council? But they need you!” When Akashi stares at her, Haizaki turns away. “You’re the only president I’d vote for.”

“I appreciate your support and will consider it.” Akashi says with a small smile. When Haizaki continues to stare at her, Akashi reexamines her outfit and wonders if she really looks strange to Haizaki.

“You two make a good pair,” Haizaki says at last. She doesn’t elaborate, and Akashi doesn’t expect her to. 

They’re interrupted from the comfortable silence when the door to the classroom opens. Momoi looks between the two of them and smiles brilliantly at Haizaki. “Hello!” He says, leaning in to get a closer look at Haizaki, who takes a step back.

Kuroko pokes her head out. “Akashi-san, you’re late again.”

“I’m gonna go, then,” Haizaki says, but stops when Akashi sets a hand on her shoulder.

“Eh?!” Kise calls from inside, and Akashi turns to find her sitting on Aomine’s lap. “Is that a new club member, Akashicchi?”

“Would you like to come in?” Akashi asks Haizaki.

“We are watching a movie today,” Kuroko explains calmly. “It’s a foreign film with feminist themes. I believe it stars a blonde lawyer.”

“What’s wrong with blondes?” Kise calls out, then giggles something that sounds like “Nooo, Daiko, stop tickling me there!” 

“I don’t know,” Haizaki starts to say, but freezes when Murasakibara appears behind her with a giant picnic basket. It seems like Akashi isn’t the only one late for the meeting. 

“Ara? A new member?” Murasakibara asks, already chewing on a rice ball. “Are you coming in? I made all this food for today’s meeting.”

Haizaki glances between the projector screen already set up inside and the food in Murasakibara’s arms. She sighs as if highly inconvenienced. Still, she grins a little at them. “Okay, I guess I’ll join you. Just for a little bit, though.”

Momoi waits until Haizaki has walked in to look at Akashi. “Yeah, she’s cute.” Momoi grins at Akashi. “But is her feminism intersectional?”

“Please,” Akashi says and returns his smile. “That’s a poor imitation of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta'ed by the lovely [@atharaigas](http://archiveofourown.org/users/atharaigas/pseuds/atharaigas)!
> 
> Here are some post-fic notes that may or may not become side stories:
> 
> 1\. Haizaki and Akashi develop a strange friendship where Haizaki threatens to spill the details of Nijimura's past ~thug life~ to Akashi on a weekly basis. Nijimura deeply regrets introducing them to each other, but is secretly relieved Haizaki now has friends that don't get her into trouble. When questioned by Nijimura's parents about his mysterious girlfriend, Haizaki will respond with "she's too good for him."
> 
> 2\. Midorima insists that she is slowly "getting to know Takao," and refuses to acknowledge that he's already been inducted to the basketball boyfriends brigade. She eventually starts using tampons. 
> 
> 3\. After some thought, Akashi decides to return to the student council. Mibuchi, Hayama, and those who remember her coup days continue to refer to her as "the boss." 
> 
> 4\. Aomine and Kise have a lot of hot lesbian sex.
> 
> 5\. No one really understands Murasakibara's relationship with "Murochin." 
> 
> 6\. Kagami still pretends the Tampon Incident never happened. Kuroko humors him while she continues to record her weekly podcasts.
> 
>  
> 
> whelp! This was really??? self-gratuitous to write. Thank you to Sara, Vivi, Annie, Lynna, and Jihye for making this fic possible! For those of you who want to talk genderbent or miragen headcanons, you can find me on twitter [@chihaspomi](https://twitter.com/chihaspomi)~


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